Words fall off unless we lick them,

stick them to the recipient

the intrepid receiver of our slivers

of meaning built by our slivers of shivers.

When the letters line up

shine up

show up to show us up

just when we thought we glowed up.

Now to find out we went hard to stick those syllables

and lick those syllables

so they stay together to make a

merry weather day filled with words I hope stick and stay.

I hope they stay on my sticky note.

The one I licked for good luck before

I stuck it to your soul.

Driving down a dark road

in the utter darkness of November

where the nights begin to eat the days

and swallow them whole

like the Monsters of my youth; in a book I once read

we'll eat you up; we love you so!

The sky's an eternal slate gray and the air smells of burning

leaves, heat, furnaces, houses as bears lumber to their caves for the winter

As the mist creeps, sheathes the hill in fog

a few brilliant colors peak

from the blanketing abyss

a touch of vermilion, catches, the eye almost seems like the sun's departing shade

it's last hurrah

before everything collapses into the dark

and the Night eats the days

As I look to my left, I think back to a better time

I observe that the trees have the slightest bit of orange

I think to myself, “Finally, the autumn is approaching”

You may wonder why I’m so excited for Autumn

Maybe as to why I find it important

I enjoyed the activities of fall.

Carving pumpkins

Going on entertaining hayrides

Getting lost in corn mazes

Getting scared in haunted houses

I also enjoyed the beautiful colors

Oh, how I loved the beautiful colors of fall

Red, the color of my nose after a chilly hayride

The color of the apples we picked from the orchard

The color of the candle we burned daily

Orange, the color of the pumpkins we carved

The color of the pie with whipped cream on the top

The color of the sky as the evening sun is setting

Yellow, the color of squash we ate with dinner

The color of the hay bales we took pictures on

The corn of the ground of the maze

Red, orange, and yellow

They were also the colors of the once

Colorful, bright, beautiful leaves

As they fall from the trees, I think of the upcoming times

Leaves fall from the trees above, joining the confetti of amber and scarlet that flutters in the air. The pavement, which was once dull granite-grey, now shines aureate. Each step across the track ends with a soft crunch. A gentle breeze whizzes by and playfully kick up leaves back into the air. The world has turned golden.

mother nature whispers to me

that this is her favorite time of year

because she gets to paint the trees

from green to golden shades of

yellow and ginger

she'll blow kisses

careful to make them soft

to create a breeze that will

sweep through the strands

of your hair and

be planted on your cheek

leaving them a shade of light pink

she'll wave the sun goodbye

before welcoming the grey clouds

to blanket the sky

happy to give us the rain we've

been asking her for all summer

each pumpkin will be caressed by her

fingertips, they'll feel her love and

promise to stay vibrant as children carve

faces into them before they sit proudly

on their front doorstep

-the colors of fall

I hand my daughter a stem of yellow leaves on the ground. She is one year old and still thinks the way of exploring the world is through her mouth. I pick up a red leaf and hand it to her. I wonder if it taste like cherry. The falling leaves mark the end of a season, the end of life, but I can't help but think for her it's a beginning. She doesn't remember last year. In her mind, she has never seen the leaves change color. For all she knows, they do taste like cherries. Or lemon drops. Or orange taffy. She has to try them all. I imagine what she will think when she sees snow. Or tries to eat an icicle. She has the entire world to discover. Witnessing it reminds me that I take for granted the beauty around me. I recently took an online test to determine my strengths. One of the questions keeps coming back to me. "Do you see beauty in the world that other people miss?" Do I put always, sometimes, or never? I see beauty around me, but do I miss some of it? Looking through my daughter's eyes, I can see there is beauty around me that I miss. And if I take a look, I might wonder at the toffee flavored leaves on the tree outside.

Yesterday's gloom carries onto today. The sky's soft blanket is just light enough that the warmth seeps through. What a soft cooling touch the breeze gives, like a warming hug in which to rest in. The chirping birds lay in wait, as to not take away from the charming hummers. The hummers make no waste as to dictate which flowers they shall take.

When the leaves turn colour and the air gets a little more crisp my heart skips a beat. Brisk and cool, it’s freshness is welcome and I breathe it in happily. The crisp air fills my lungs with pure joy, knowing cooler weather is becoming more consistent. I love the colour changes, as Mother Nature puts on her own fashion show. Speaking of fashion, one of my favourite things about Fall is all the new sweaters that come out to keep us warm on our adventures.

I love the crunchy leaves as I walk down paths or across the yard, and the gift of morning frost. Fall is definitely one of my favourite season.

rosy as blood

dripping from vampire fangs

thirsty for something more.

no one understands.

(red)

pumpkin-tinted smiles

matching the leaves

a stomach left full

of candy and treats

and outside,

the pumpkin begins

to rot.

(orange)

sunlight filters

in through the trees

the ground washed in gold

like sparkling jewelry.

gold paint that will eventually

chip away

into darkness

that lasts longer and longer.

(yellow)

the heat of the sun slowly rises from the earth, forsaking the living. in its place is the slow surge of cold, yellowing the greenery and coaxing nature into a seasonal sleep. of course, that's putting it ominously. in truth, the oncoming cold is a breath of fresh air - the skies clear up, rainstorms roll away, people pull out their dark-toned clothing and smile as they wait in line for steaming mugs of hot coffee. the trees begin their cycle of sleep by shedding their yearly leaves, showering the world with reds and oranges that blanket the floors. plaid patterned long sleeves and fuzzy lined socks become a norm, and the clear blue sky reminds everyone that the day can still be worth living as the temperatures slowly plummet. yes, autumn is a time of death and sleep and changes - but it is also a time of red leaves when trees are usually green, a time of black coffee warming up cold hands, a time where people can go outdoors without sweat dripping down their backs. the cycle is beautiful because of its brevity, and soon enough it will be gone, so enjoy autumn while it lasts or you'll wake up with sweat on your back and summer rain showers tackling an earth with green trees against instead of red ones.